Posts Tagged ‘policy’

Another policy to be proud of

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, February 1st, 2016 - 284 comments

Labour has rolled out another big bold policy that will shape the national discussion for years. Critics, most of whom received a free tertiary education themselves back in the day, want to deny a younger generation the same right (and pocket a tax cut instead). Enter Steven Joyce…

Polity: The big lie

Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, September 5th, 2014 - 44 comments

Rob Salmond looks at the Big Lie technique coming from the right and being gormlessly swallowed by some pundits. That Labour and the left aren’t talking about policy. They have been brimming over with policy. The right have vague possible ideas. Pundits are too obsessed in dirty politics to look at the detail of actual policies.

Polity: Smoke and mirrors on housing

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 14 comments

National’s own fine print takes us from “you can get up to $20,000!” to, at best, “11% of qualifying couples get up to $20,000.” Ouch…. Typical National. Long on glitz. Long on smoke. Long on mirrors. Short on actually helping people.

Labour policy

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, August 25th, 2014 - 24 comments

Because of the technical illiteracy of the political committee that appears to have run the development of the Labour website, their extensive list of policies tends to be unreachable. I eventually found the useful page and I’m giving their website a hand using The Standard’s search engine optimization.

Looking at the big policy picture

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, August 22nd, 2014 - 11 comments

Despite John Key’s key message du jour, the parties of the Opposition are talking policy.

Policy Free Zone?

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, August 21st, 2014 - 26 comments

Cut Your Hair has some great analysis of who is the “policy free zone” that Key is claiming the left is…

Green’s campaign launch

Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, August 17th, 2014 - 4 comments

I’m heading off to get some lunch before going to the Green’s campaign launch. It is (for those like me who forgot) at The details are: When: August 17, 2014 at 2pm – 4pm Where: Sir Paul Reeves Building, 86 Governor Fitzroy Pl in Auckland Make sure you put on your green t-shirts as we want to see a […]

Local Bodies: Politics, Sharks and Voter Apathy

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, June 23rd, 2014 - 10 comments

I had a conversation at our farmer’s market this morning about how my election campaign was going and the person I was speaking to had the view that all politicians don’t actually do much, apart from talking. I find that this thinking is actually fairly common, many people talk about the nonsense that goes on in Parliament and how all politicians are as bad as each other, “It doesn’t matter who you vote for, nothing really changes.”  I find this view really frustrating, but at the same time I can see why people may feel this way.

Polity: A paucity of vision?

Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, June 9th, 2014 - 68 comments

Hey, we won’t get in the way of a good stoush on the net about Labour’s policies, in fact we will encourage it. Here is Rob Salmond’s response to Idiot Savant’s post at No Right Turn. We’d also suggest that people look at Mike Smith’s post from this morning and last night (that probably has the nuttier conspiracy theorists going by now) for a third point of view.

Comments please…

A party finds its voice

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, November 23rd, 2012 - 77 comments

After Labour’s Conference a lot of media attention has focused on the constitutional changes relating to leadership. But other changes were even more important. Members will develop policy, and the process has become much more effective and more open. The policy platform will be binding on MPs – and is the package that will be taken to the electorate.

National policy manifesto

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 25th, 2011 - 5 comments

National declines to discuss policy

Written By: - Date published: 6:28 pm, November 17th, 2011 - 16 comments

RNZ has a great Policy Q&A site up.  Labour and the Greens have replied to the questions (most parties have or will do so), so you can find out where they stand on the issues.  But National’s non-participation shows that they’re too arrogant to even bother engaging on policy.

Labour’s jobs policy

Written By: - Date published: 1:04 pm, November 16th, 2011 - 34 comments

Now that we’re all over Nice Mr Key, maybe we can focus on minor details like the environment, the economy, assets, and jobs…

Labour on the environment

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, November 8th, 2011 - 38 comments

I was going to write about the release of Labour’s environmental policy – and the resounding silence from National – but NRT has done a great job aleady.

Economic credibility – mote and beam

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, November 8th, 2011 - 20 comments

The focus of attention has moved on to costing the policies, promises and projections of the major parties.  The Nats’ are desperate to have the media focus stay on the mote in Labour’s eye, and ignore the beam in their own. In the interests of informed choice, let’s hear both sides of the story…

Campaigning on policy – what a concept!

Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, October 28th, 2011 - 27 comments

Labour has once again broken the mould and chosen to focus its election campaign on policy. As a country we’ve been saying for a long time that elections should be about policies and not personalities.  Now we’ve got a chance to try it.  If the media is up to the challenge, of course.

National Policy?

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, September 20th, 2011 - 57 comments

John Pagani has an excellent piece on the lack of National substance in the lead-up to this election.

Like last election we’re seeing Labour say what they would do, presenting one alternative, as National fail to present theirs; relying on that nice man John Key’s image over any policy substance.

Labour’s plan for Christchurch

Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, September 19th, 2011 - 109 comments

Today Labour released another substantial policy, a plan for recovery in Christchurch.   It’s a policy that works for ordinary people, and a much needed helping hand for displaced red-zone residents.

What we owe policy wonks

Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, August 26th, 2011 - 21 comments

Yesterday William commented to Cuts and Consequences to the effect that who needs policy analyst and that big private companies don’t bother with them and so neither should government. I’m paraphrasing a little bit but it did strike me that many people (including it seems some very senior ministers in this government – but not – funnily enough […]

Substance vs style

Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, August 24th, 2011 - 75 comments

A couple of polls have now confirmed that on key issues voters prefer Labour policy over National.  When push comes to shove in November, will Kiwis vote for the style that they like, or the substance that they want?

Who has the ideas?

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, May 26th, 2011 - 62 comments

Last week we had National’s budget and Labour’s conference.  A chance for both parties to set out their ideas for the future.  National’s do-nothing budget went down like a lead balloon, while Labour started setting out promising new policy.  Looks like the 2011 election campaign will  be a contest between ideas and schoolboy mockery.

What is important to voters?

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, April 23rd, 2011 - 52 comments

DPF reckons “that issues of policy are less important to voters than issues of competence”.  What an impoverished view of democracy!  Perhaps he should look a little deeper than last week’s poll…

Choices are becoming clear

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, April 29th, 2010 - 39 comments

The choices between Labour and National are becoming clearer by the day. Next election the public is going to be offered two very different futures for New Zealand. Not between Labour and a dissembling “Labour Lite”, but between Labour and the true National agenda exposed.

What we need in the Budget

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, May 27th, 2009 - 81 comments

We need to keep paying into the Superannuation Fund. Never heard anything so dumb as the idea of stopping making payments right now. Invest now and make a tidy sum to pay for super in the future. If we don’t we’ll have to put up taxes in the future or cut super. I’m looking forward […]

Culture of secrecy

Written By: - Date published: 6:31 pm, July 18th, 2008 - 59 comments

It’s 4.45 on a Friday afternoon and National has just released its Outdoor Recreation policy. It’s another one page wonder, only this time they haven’t even managed to fill the page. But that’s not what interests me. What interests me is the manner in which National has chosen to release it. See, if you’re trying […]

You call that policy? This is policy

Written By: - Date published: 2:45 pm, June 23rd, 2008 - 90 comments

National has released a brochure, laying out all its policies. They take up two A4 pages of double-spaced bullet points. That’s incredibly lightweight. Contrast that with the policy files of another party outside government, the Greens. National has 14 vague policies. The Greens have 51 policy area pages, each containing dozens of actionable policies. There […]

National’s policy vacuum

Written By: - Date published: 5:13 pm, June 9th, 2008 - 52 comments

From the editorial in the ODT today we learn that Bill English is keen to dampen down concern within the party at the lack of policy, telling delegates at their southern conference: “We pick the timing [for policy release] – not Labour, not the media, not the public.” He signaled it may be released very late and […]

Grueling

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, May 27th, 2008 - 6 comments

Nats announce launch release consider rural doctors bonding scheme. Here’s the link, but honestly, don’t bother.

Show us ya policy

Written By: - Date published: 3:57 pm, May 26th, 2008 - 32 comments

Steve posted this morning that even Granny Herald’s patience appears to be wearing thin waiting for National and Key to announce some policy detail: “National must get a move on… we need to hear some serious policy soon”. Turns out they’re not alone. Rod Oram (SST): …for it to be a genuine debate, National needs […]

Even Granny’s patience can wear thin

Written By: - Date published: 9:47 am, May 26th, 2008 - 42 comments

With a loving smack that would have brought a smile to Bob McCoskrie’s face, the Herald‘s editorial today rebukes John Key in the strongest terms it can. Now that the Budget is behind us, the National Party has less excuse for indecision on most of the important economic issues facing the country at the coming […]

Telling porkies

Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, May 22nd, 2008 - 44 comments

The Herald and National have started attacking every piece of government spending as pork-barrelling. Here’s some of what they’re calling ‘wasteful, needless spending’: $750 million of new health spending ($160 million for elective services) -Pork $700 million for Fast Forward Fund, food and pastoral sector research -Pork $665 million to buy the national rail operations […]